Leander

CURRENT TEST NETTING RESULTS INDICATED THAT THE MAIN PREDATOR SPECIES WITHIN THE FISH COMMUNITY INCLUDED NOP, LMB, AND WAE, WHILE THE OTHER SPECIES CONSISTED OF TLC, PMK, BLG, BLC, AND YEP. SUCKER AND BRBS WERE SAMPLED IN PREVIOUS TEST NETTING ASSESSMENTS BUT WERE ABSENT FROM PRESENT NET CATCHES. YEP, WHICH WERE QUITE ABUNDANT IN THE 1980 ASSESSMENT (CPUE=10.2 FISH/GILL NET) WENT ALMOST UNDETECTED IN THE PRESENT NET CATCHES (1 FISH IN A TRAP NET). THERE APPEARS TO BE A SHIFT IN FISH SPECIES WITHIN THIS LAKE. GILL NET AND TRAP NET CATCHES (CPUE'S) WERE EVALUATED WITH MEDIANS AND QUARTILES CALCULATED FOR ECOLOGICAL LAKE CLASS #5 (SCHUPP). NOTE: LAKES IN THIS CLASS ARE SOFT WATER (ALKALINITIES LESS THAN 40 PPM) BASINS WITH ABOUT 300 SURFACE ACRES OF WHICH 25% ARE WITHIN THE LITTORAL ZONE, MAXIMUM DEPTHS ARE AROUND 68 FEET, AND WATER IS RELATIVELY CLEAR AS INDICATED BY A MEAN SECCHI DISK VALUE OF 14 FEET. THE NOP POPULATION APPEARS TO HAVE INCREASED SLIGHTLY FROM ANY PREVIOUS TEST NETTING RESULTS AND MAY BE ABOVE NORMAL FOR LAKES IN THE SAME LAKE CLASS. THE CURRENT NOP GILL NET CPUE (5.4 FISH/NET) WAS THE HIGHEST VALUE DETERMINED FOR ANY TEST NETTING SURVEY SINCE 1950. THE CURRENT CATCH RATE IS ALSO SLIGHTLY ABOVE THE THIRD QUARTILE INDEX (4.2 FISH/NET) FOR LAKE CLASS #5. ALTHOUGH NOP ABUNDANCE MAY HAVE INCREASED FROM PREVIOUS SURVEYS, FURTHER ANALYSIS OF MEAN LENGTHS OF NET CATCHES FROM THE 1980, 1985, AND 1991 ASSESSMENTS INDICATE THE SIZE STRUCTURE HAS NOT CHANGED MEANINGFULLY. VARIABILITY OF THE MEAN LENGTHS (INCHES) WITH A 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL FOR EACH ASSESSMENT WAS DETERMINED AS FOLLOWS: 1980 (N=25 FISH): 23.5 25.8); 1985 (N=27 FISH): 21.2 1.0 (20.2-22.2): 1991 (N=27 FISH) : 21.1 (19.9-22.3). THE PRESENT TLC ABUNDANCE APPEARS TO HAVE INCREASED AS THERE WAS A 6 TO 7 FOLD INCREASE IN THE PRESENT GILL NET CPUE FROM PREVIOUS STUDIES (SEE HISTORICAL NETTING SUMMARY). THIS INCREASE COINCIDES WITH THE CLOSURE OF FALL TLC NETTING BEGINNING IN 1984. TLC HABITAT APPEARS TO BE RESTRICTED DUE TO SUMMER TEMPERATURE STRATIFICATION, SMALL SIZE OF LAKE, AND LIMITED ZOOPLANKTON PRODUCTIVITY; THEREFORE, THE POTENTIAL WAS HIGH FOR OVER HARVEST OF SPAWNING TLC WITH GILL NETS. NOTE: PAST FIELD CREW SPOT CHECKS OF FALL TLC NETTING WERE INCONCLUSIVE TO EVALUATE HARVEST. THE PRESENT WAE POPULATION APPEARS TO BE LOW AND CONSISTS OF MOSTLY LARGE, OLD FISH. THE CPUE OF 1.2 FISH/GILL NET WAS BELOW THE FIRST QUARTILE VALUE (2.0). THE WAE SAMPLE CONTAINED SIX FISH WHICH WERE ALL GREATER THAN 21 INCHES IN LENGTH, AND AGE 7 OR OLDER. THIS AGE STRUCTURE CORRESPONDS TO THE WAE STOCKING CHRONOLOGY WHERE PLANTINGS OF WAE FRY WERE DISCONTINUED IN 1984. AS NO FISH WERE SAMPLED FROM THE PAST SEVEN YEAR CLASSES, NATURAL REPRODUCTION APPEARS TO BE NON- EXISTENT IN THIS LAKE. THEREFORE ANY MANAGED WAE POPULATION WOULD NEED TO BE ARTIFICIALLY MAINTAINED WITH PERIODIC PLANTINGS OF FRY OR FINGERLINGS. THE BLG POPULATION IS WITHIN NORMAL LIMITS FOR LAKE CLASS #5 BUT THE TRAP NET CATCH HAS INCREASED 60% FROM THE 1985 ASSESSMENT. THE LENGTH FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTIONS SUGGEST A SLIGHT SHIFT TO LARGER SIZED FISH IN THE CURRENT ASSESSMENT. THE MODAL LENGTH GROUP CHANGED FROM 4.0-4.5 INCHES IN 1985 TO 6.0-6.4 INCHES IN THIS ASSESSMENT. THE CHANGE IN SIZE STRUCTURE MAY MIRROR A SHIFT IN AGE STRUCTURE OF THE BLG POPULATION. THIS WAS THE FIRST ASSESSMENT WHERE BLGS WERE AGED AND BACK CALCULATED LENGTHS WERE DETERMINED. THIS INFORMATION INDICATED A BLG POPULATION OF OLD SLOW GROWING FISH WITH A BACK CALCULATED LENGTH OF 5.3 INCHES AT LAST ANNULUS FORMATION. THE LMB GILL NET AND TRAP NET CPUE'S WERE LOW AND MAY NOT ACCURATELY REPRESENT THE POPULATION LEVEL. THE SURVEY CREW OBSERVED NUMEROUS BASS WHEN CONDUCTING THE FIELD WORK AND MANY LAKESHORE RESIDENTS REPORTED CATCHING LMB MUCH MORE FREQUENTLY IN RECENT YEARS (SEE LAKE CONDITIONS AND FISHING). LMB WERE MOST ABUNDANT FISH IN SEINE HAULS AS 24 FISH WERE SAMPLED IN 0.12 ACRES. MOST OF THE SUSPECTED AGE 1+ FISH WERE INCLUDED IN THE AGING SAMPLE. DISTRIBUTION OF AGE CLASSES PROBABLY DOESN'T ACCURATELY REPRESENT THE BASS POPULATION BUT LENGTH VALUES FOR BACK CALCULATIONS AT LAST ANNULUS INDICATED THAT GROWTH IS BELOW THE STATE AVERAGE FOR AGE GROUPS 1,2, AND 3. THE CPUE VALUES FOR BLC WERE LOW (1.2 FISH/GILLNET AND 0.7 FISH/TRAP NET) BUT ARE NORMAL FOR A LAKE OF THIS CLASS. LOCAL ANGLERS REPORTED CATCHING SEINING EFFORTS REVEALED MINIMAL INFORMATION. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT LMB MAY HAVE BEEN THE ONLY SPECIES TO PRODUCE A SUBSTANTIAL YEAR CLASS IN 1991. ONE MINNOW SPECIES WAS CAPTURED (BLUNTNOSE SHINER) IN LOW NUMBERS.

ALL SPECIES OTHER THAN WAE ARE ABOVE LOCAL MEDIANS

Fish population appears to be within normal limits for this type of lake.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Northern Pike, Pumpkinseed, Walleye, Bluegill, and Yellow Perch in Leander. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

We don't have a confirmed public access point on record for Leander. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Leander has a maximum depth of 45 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Leander is from 1991. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

No invasive species are on record for Leander in Minnesota DNR data. Always clean, drain, and dry your equipment to help keep it that way.